NFC South Notes: Brees, Tolbert, Scobee, Bucs
Saints quarterback Drew Brees has just one year left on his contract, and is set to count for $30MM on New Orleans’ 2016 cap, meaning it’s essentially inevitable that the two sides will discuss an extension at some point this winter. So far though, negotiations between the quarterback and the team haven’t gotten underway, Brees said today during an appearance on ESPN (link via Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com).
“If conversations are to be had, they haven’t happened yet,” Brees said. “But when they do that will be between us, and then we’ll kind of announce that, and everybody will find out at the same time.”
Brees, who said on The Dan Patrick Show today that he expects to remain in New Orleans for the rest of his career, will have $10.85MM of his base salary for 2016 become fully guaranteed next week.
Here’s more from out of the NFC South:
- Asked this week about his pending free agency, fullback Mike Tolbert said he hopes this Sunday’s game isn’t his last with the Panthers, adding that he “absolutely” wants to re-sign with the team, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “These guys are my brothers,” Tolbert said. “I don’t want to leave any more than the next guy. But I have to do what’s best for my family and for me. If moving is part of it, then that’s a part of it. But I don’t want to.”
- Veteran kicker Josh Scobee had a tryout with the Saints on Wednesday, but didn’t sign a contract, a source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). The longtime Jaguars kicker was acquired in a trade by the Steelers in September, but struggled during his brief stint in Pittsburgh, missing four field goals and an extra point in four games. He was cut in October.
- The Buccaneers have plenty of cap room at their disposal this offseason, but Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap is skeptical that they’ll use a big chunk of it, as he explains in his preview of Tampa Bay’s offseason.
Bucs Rumors: Glennon, Martin, Jackson
Mike Glennon, the subject of trade rumors and speculation nearly every offseason, is expected to be retained by the Buccaneers for the 2016 season, according to general manager Jason Licht. Licht tells Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com that he intends for Glennon to enter the ’16 season as Jameis Winston‘s backup.
“Mike Glennon is just so valuable to us right now while we have him, while he’s under contract, I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks with him and Jameis,” Licht said. “If you just go out and get a mid-round pick for him, the chances of the mid-round pick working out or drafting a quarterback and that pick working out, the odds aren’t in your favor. Unless there’s [an offer] that blows us away, I think you lean towards keeping him and having him on your roster.”
As Reynolds explains, the Buccaneers view the idea of keeping Glennon as a win-win proposition. Either he eventually extends his contract with Tampa Bay and the team continues to have a very solid backup behind Winston, or he eventually leaves in free agency and earns the Bucs a compensatory draft pick.
According to Reynolds, the club may showcase Glennon this summer in the preseason, but it would be more about improving his stock for free agency – and therefore improving the Bucs’ comp pick – rather than showcasing him as a trade chip.
Here are a couple more items of interest out of Tampa Bay, via Reynolds:
- The Buccaneers met with agent David Dunn at the Senior Bowl this week to begin preliminary contract talks for running back Doug Martin, according to Reynolds. Tampa Bay does not intend to use its franchise tag on Martin, since the one-year price tag would be exorbitant for a running back, but the two sides are hopeful that they can work something out before free agency begins on March 9.
- The Buccaneers plan to bring back veteran receiver Vincent Jackson for the 2016 season without adjusting his salary or his cap hit, reports Reynolds. Jackson’s $12.21MM cap hit is sizable, but the Bucs have plenty of cap room and don’t view the free agent market or draft class this year as particularly strong for wideouts.
- Tampa Bay will likely add at least one receiver in free agency or the draft for depth purposes, but the team likes its current group, according to Reynolds.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
South Notes: Titans, McDermott, Falcons
In a fascinating piece for Bleacher Report, former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist shared some details about his recent interview for the Titans‘ GM position, explaining what he would have done during his first days, weeks, and months on the job if he had been hired by the club.
The entire piece is worth reading, and features a handful of interesting tidbits from Sundquist, who writes that there were some indications that Titans ownership, which wanted to retain head coach Mike Mularkey and stay the course within the front office, “wasn’t necessarily looking for a complete diagnosis of its problems.”
Here’s more Friday reading from around the NFL’s South divisions:
- Albert Breer of the NFL Network echoes what Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported earlier today, writing that the Titans are “very open to the idea” of shopping the first overall pick. However, Breer cautions that the Titans still want to walk away from the draft with an elite prospect, so there will be a limit to how far the team is willing to trade down. A handful of clubs picking between 11 and 15 could be in the market for a quarterback, but that would be a long way for those teams to move up, and a long way for Tennessee to move down, says Breer.
- While the Buccaneers ultimately opted to name Dirk Koetter their new head coach, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott interviewed “very, very well” with Tampa Bay, according to Breer. McDermott figures to be a strong candidate for a head coaching job in 2017.
- Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff acknowledged that 2016 feels like a make-or-break year for him, though he added the caveat that he views every year that way, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- Dimitroff also suggested that the Falcons will continue to shop for discounts and values in free agency rather than making a big splash, and said the team has yet to make a decision on Roddy White‘s future, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details in a pair of articles.
NFC Notes: Cardinals, Cowboys, Buccaneers
Cardinals running back Chris Johnson hasn’t played since late November because of a fractured tibia, but the team will activate him for Super Bowl 50 if it defeats Carolina in the NFC title game, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reports (Twitter link via Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo). Johnson, 30, rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns in 11 regular-season games before landing on IR-DTR. He returned to practice earlier this month.
More on the potentially Super Bowl-bound Cards and a couple of their fellow NFC teams:
- The Cowboys are making adjustments to their offensive coaching staff, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. Steve Loney, who was the Cowboys’ assistant offensive line coach this season, will become the tight ends coach. That leaves the future of incumbent TEs coach Mike Pope unclear. Marc Colombo, who played for Dallas from 2005-10, will take over Loney’s old post as the club’s assistant O-line coach.
- Carson Palmer‘s $6.35MM base salary for 2016 is on track to increase by $800,000 because of playing time escalators, tweets CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. If that happens, Palmer’s $8.15MM base salary for 2017 will decrease by the same total, however, per Corry (Twitter link).
- The Buccaneers are hiring Brett Maxie as a defensive backs coach, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Tribune (Twitter link). Maxie, who coached Vanderbilt defensive backs the last two years, will join Jon Hoke as the Bucs’ second DBs coach.
Buccaneers Hire Todd Monken As OC
The Buccaneers have hired Southern Mississippi head coach Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator, the club announced today. The position was vacated, obviously, when Tampa Bay promoted Dirk Koetter to head coach. Per the team, Monken will also serve as receivers coach.
[RELATED: Buccaneers hire Mike Smith as defensive coordinator]
“I am very excited to add a coach with the type of experience and tenacity that Todd brings,” said Koetter in a statement. “I have always been impressed with his approach to the game as well as his ability to teach concepts and get the best out of his players. During his more than 25-year coaching career, he has made a name for himself as a very successful offensive coordinator and head coach on the collegiate level.”
Monken is certainly an outside-the-box hire, as there had been no reports linking him to Tampa Bay or any other NFL vacancies. But the move isn’t completely out of left field, as Monken has a history with Koetter —the pair worked together on the Jaguars’ staff from 2007-10 (Koetter as OC, Monken as WRs coach). For what it’s worth, that time in Jacksonville represents Monken’s only NFL experience.
[RELATED: 2016 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Tracker]
In his first head coaching job, the 49-year-old Monken has certainly turned around the Southern Miss program, improving from a 1-11 record during his first season in 2013 to a 9-5 mark during last year’s campaign. He’ll step into an enviable position in Tampa, as the Buccaneers are equipped with a potential franchise quarterback in Jameis Winston, an elite receiver in Mike Evans, and a solid — but free agent — running back in Doug Martin.
Koetter has already announced that he will call the offensive plays for the Buccaneers, so Monken will presumably act in more of a game-planning and administrative role.
Schefter On NFL Head Coaching Searches
While the Browns liked Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, the team recognized the importance of upgrading its offense, which was one reason Hue Jackson was the choice as Cleveland’s new head coach, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. According to Schefter, the Browns believe that by hiring Jackson they not only strengthened their own organization, but weakened a division rival, in the Bengals.
Schefter has some details on the rest of the head coaching decisions as well, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….
- The Giants “seriously entertained” the possibility of hiring Mike Smith as their head coach and keeping Ben McAdoo at offensive coordinator, says Schefter. However, when the Eagles expressed legit interest in McAdoo, the Giants knew they couldn’t risk losing him.
- As for those Eagles, they were determined to be more patient this time around than when they hired Chip Kelly, but two of their top candidates – Adam Gase and McAdoo – were hired by other teams while Philadelphia was being patient. Since the club was already familiar with Doug Pederson, it was “completely comfortable” turning to him despite the fact that his initial interview was ordinary, according to Schefter.
- The 49ers viewed Kelly, Mike Shanahan, Tom Coughlin, and Anthony Lynn as viable candidates, and felt they would have been in good shape no matter which direction they went in. The fact that Kelly is the only one of the group without a Super Bowl ring was a factor in San Francisco’s choice, since the club feels he’ll be hungry to get that championship.
- The Buccaneers took a week to hire Dirk Koetter even though most people expected him to be the choice all along, leading to some whispers that the Glazers “attempted a big swing” before officially promoting Koetter, says Schefter.
- Despite a final push from Ray Horton last Saturday, the Titans‘ owners never wanted to get away from Mike Mularkey, who was their top choice all along.
- As for the Dolphins, they entered their coaching search planning to be aggressive, and Gase’s desire to land a head coaching job – after being passed over last year – matched up well with that aggressiveness from the team, making him the first new coach hired this month.
Extra Points: LA, Chip, Rice, Bucs, Jets
Negotiations between the Rams and Chargers are going well, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole (video link), as the Bolts continue their quest to leave San Diego for Los Angeles. Cole offers a couple of reasons why the Rams hope the Chargers – not the Raiders – join them as LA’s second NFL team. The Rams believe marketing the Raiders in LA would be a challenge, given their past history in the city. Further, the Rams don’t want the Raiders’ rowdy fans in the state-of-the-art stadium and shopping complex they’re building in Inglewood. It appears the Rams won’t have to worry about it, as Cole expects they’ll reach a deal with the Chargers – perhaps in the next two weeks.
More from around the league:
- New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly had control over the 53-man roster in Philadelphia, but that won’t be the case in San Francisco. Kelly says he’s “real comfortable with” general manager Trent Baalke controlling the 53-man roster, per the team’s Twitter account. Kelly also claims to be comfortable with quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. “Obviously Kap is an extremely talented football player and you need a good quarterback to win,” Kelly said, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “But I was also impressed from the film I watched in terms of how Blaine played this year. Both of those players made this an attractive situation.”
- Free agent running back Ray Rice is “still hopeful” about a return to the NFL, he told Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun. Rice, of course, hasn’t been able to find work in the league the last two years as a result of a domestic-violence incident. “I’m not ready to give it up. My second chance, it might take a little longer than I expected, but you know what? I know I still have a lot of game left. I’m not worried about that part of it,” Rice said. The soon-to-be 29-year-old averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per carry in 2013, which currently stands as his final season.
- Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio the notion that he used other head coaching vacancies as leverage so the Bucs would fire Lovie Smith and promote him is “total, 100 percent B.S.”
- Before CFL receiver Eric Rogers agreed to a deal with San Francisco on Wednesday, the Jets made him an offer, tweets the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta.
Coaching Notes: Bills, Bucs, Jags, Texans
The Bills have made a groundbreaking hire, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as they’ve named Kathryn Smith a special teams quality control coach. Smith is the NFL’s first-ever full-time female assistant coach. She previously served in lesser roles under Rex Ryan with both the Jets and Bills.
Regarding Smith’s hiring, Ryan said, “She has proven that she’s ready for the next step, so I’m excited and proud for her” (Twitter link via The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne).
Other coaching news from around the NFL . . .
- New Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter will call the team’s offensive plays, but he still plans to hire an O-coordinator (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
- The Jaguars expect to have a defensive coordinator in place by Monday, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. The front-runner for the job is defensive line coach Todd Wash, per O’Halloran (Twitter link). As PFR’s Coordinator Tracker shows, Jacksonville has also shown interest in some currently available outside candidates, having interviewed Jerome Henderson, Marquand Manuel and Lou Anarumo for the job.
- In other Jaguars news, assistant coach coach Doug Marrone will return for a second season with the club, per O’Halloran. Marrone interviewed for four different head coaching vacancies in recent weeks, but those teams hired other candidates.
- Paul Pasqualoni has stepped down as the Texans’ defensive line coach after just one season because of family reasons, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Anthony Weaver, who coached Cleveland’s D-line the past two seasons, could take Pasqualoni’s spot.
- The Colts have named Greg Williams their secondary coach, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Williams was San Diego’s assistant secondary coach the previous three seasons.
- With Terry Robiskie on his way to Tennessee, the Falcons’ wide receivers coach position is open. Atlanta will likely promote offensive assistant Mike McDaniel to take Robiskie’s place, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. McDaniel previously coached wideouts in Washington (2013) and Cleveland (2014).
- Changes are coming to the Lions’ strength and conditioning staff, as the club has fired coordinator of physical development Jason Arapoff and assistant strength coach Ted Rath, writes Tim Twentyman of the team’s website.
Coach Rumors: Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Bucs
After showing interest in Jim Schwartz before he was named the Eagles’ new defensive coordinator, the Jaguars have turned their attention in another direction as they search for a defensive play-caller. Jacksonville is today interviewing Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson for their DC vacancy, reports Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is “involved in [the Jaguars’] process” of finding a defensive coordinator to replace the fired Bob Babich, but he is not in line for a formal coaching position with the club, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter links).
Henderson, 46, has been in high demand this offseason, and even interviewed for a head coaching position (Browns) earlier this month. Dallas’ defensive backs coach since 2012, Henderson, who also has a background in player development, was also linked to jobs on Miami’s new staff.
Let’s look at some news from the coaching front:
- New 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is likely to keep one offensive coach, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports (via Twitter) that running backs coach Tom Rathman is expected to remain on staff. Meanwhile, both incumbent special teams coach Thomas McGaughey and assistant Richard Hightower are in contention for San Francisco’s ST coordinator position, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).
- Eagles head coach Doug Pederson announced during his introductory press conference that running backs coach Duce Staley — who interviewed for Philadelphia’s top job — will be retained, Neil Hartman of CSNPhilly.com tweets.
- The Packers have shuffled their offensive staff, firing both running backs coach Sam Gash (per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Twitter) and tight ends coach Jerry Fontenot (per Tom Silverstein of MJS on Twitter).
- Confirming four previously-reported hires, the Buccaneers announced that special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor, secondary coach Jon Hoke, defensive line coach Jay Hayes, and linebackers coach Mark Duffner have been added to the club’s staff.
Coaching Notes: Buccaneers, Titans, Coughlin
Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers will hire Jon Hoke as their defensive backs coach. The 58-year-old has spent much of his career in the NCAA, where he was the defensive backs coach for Missouri, Florida, and South Carolina (among many others). Hoke also had a seven-year stint as the Texans DB coach, and he also spent five seasons with the Bears.
Let’s take a look at some more coaching notes from around the league…
- Dirk Koetter is overjoyed to be the Buccaneers new head coach, writes Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com. The 56-year-old has been coaching in the NFL since 2007, and he’s thrilled to finally get an opportunity to lead the entire operation. “First, you know, it’s emotional, a day like this. It’s one of the happiest days of my life but also one of the most humbling,” Koetter said. “It’s been a long time, a long time in the making. There’s 32 of these jobs in the world. I know I can do the job, even though I’m whimpering around a little bit up here today. I’m a little tougher than I’ve been coming across so far. I’m ready for it. Nothing that is said here today is going to affect us one bit in wins and losses. That all comes later. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
- Defensive coordinator Ray Horton is meeting with the Titans today, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that it will the organization’s last scheduled interview for their head coaching vacancy. The reporter notes that the position could be filled today, and he believes the job is “Mike Mularkey‘s to lose.” If the interim head coach does get the full-time position, Rapoport expects it to be on a short-term contract.
- Giants co-owner John Mara admitted that he didn’t want to see former head coach Tom Coughlin take the same gig with the Eagles. “I’m not going to lie, it would’ve bothered me a lot,” Mara said (via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News). “It would’ve been like watching Bill Parcells walk out onto the field with a (Dallas) star on his shirt. That was tough to see at the time. That would’ve bothered me. I want him to be happy, but I certainly didn’t want to see him happy in green.”